Mariachis, folklórico at Sunnyside

The advanced ballet folklórico dancers of Sunnyside High School, 1725 E. Bilby Road, are getting a feel for the stage during a practice. They will perform five dances for Noche de las Estrellas.

Noche de las Estrellas, or Night of the Stars, is a two-day festival tonight and Saturday that this year will pay homage to women in a Mother's Day celebration.

The event showcases mariachi music and ballet folklórico performances by young people from Tucson-area schools and schools from Southern Arizona and Sonora.

"This show is important to me because we are doing it in honor of our moms," says Vanessa Muñoz, 18, who portrays the Mambo Queen in one of the acts. "There have been 10 women in my life who have helped me.

"My mom, grandmother, aunts and the moms of my friends have all taken an interest in my life. These women have offered support, made me stronger and are there for me. We are dancing for them," says Muñoz, a senior who moved from Querobabi, Sonora, to Tucson when she was 8.

Junior Hector Salcido, 17, describes the Mother's Day celebration as a gift combining serenata and dance. "Mariachi is very beautiful to our moms and bringing it together with ballet folklórico will be very special," he says.

José Luis Baca, head of Sunnyside's folklórico program, choreographed five numbers for Los Diablitos Azules, or the Little Blue Devils. Baca, who also is the director of Ballet Folklórico Tapatío, will perform with Tapatío during the show. Tapatío is the headline act.

"Open up, open up," Baca shouts to the dancers during rehearsal, explaining later that they need to show more expression, style and grace.

"Spread out your arms. Use the stage. Use the area and show more energy. Look up. Always look up," he tells them.

This is the first time the dancers are practicing on stage, and they are getting a feel for the smooth floor, which can be slippery. They must learn to adjust and balance their bodies.

Baca taps on a drum as he directs the advanced folklórico dancers, who began learning the steps in September and work daily to perfect them.

He then joins in on a dance, swaying his arms and counting out loud to five while doing a series of turns with the students. "Open up, open up," he instructs with a yell.

The 24-year-old director, who is majoring in education at the University of Arizona, has been dancing for 17 years. He danced as a boy with other folklórico groups until 1997, when he and two of his siblings started tapping their feet in an old garage converted into a dance studio by his father. It was then that Tapatío was born.

In addition to working with Sunnyside students, Baca is responsible for 150 students with Ballet Folklórico Tapatío. His assistant with the ballet is Marisa Gallegos.

"We expect Noche de las Estrellas to be spectacular because we are doing it for mothers and the women who made us who we are today," Baca says. "These students have the talent and the ambition to be at a professional level. They are ready to give it their all for moms."

celebrating our mothers

What: The 18th Annual Noche de las Estrellas, or Night of the Stars, mariachi and ballet folklórico festival this year is honoring women with a Mother's Day celebration. Students from Tucson-area schools and elsewhere in Southern Arizona and Sonora will perform. The event is a scholarship fundraiser.

When: Includedfrom 6 to 9 tonight are a beauty and talent competition, and norteño/banda performer Gerardo García of Hermosillo, Sonora, will be featured. The cost is $3.

A Plaza Garibaldi atmosphere will be featured on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. A student concert and Noche de las Estrellas showcase is from 6 to 10:30 p.m.; the cost is $8 in advance or $10 at the door. The featured guest is Jeannie "La Reina" Favela and the headline act is Ballet Folklórico Tapatío.

Where: Sunnyside High School campus and auditorium, 1725 E. Bilby Road.

Information: Contact Adriana Molina at 545-5483 or adrianam@susd12.org.